[home] [news] [reviews] [features]

HAPPY HELL NIGHT(1991) Director: Brian Owens. Hacktors: Darren McGavin, Jorja Fox, Sam Rockwell, and Charles Cragin. Rating/5: The lowdown: Made at the tail end of the slasher picture craze, this gruesome flick was (anonymously) co-written by Andrew Kevin Walker of Se7en and 8mm fame. He also teamed with director Brian Owens on writing Brainscan.Charles Cragin (whom you may recognize from True Lies) plays a scary old bald guy called Zachary Malius who’s a disciple of the devil. He’s unstoppable. He killed a bunch of college kids back in the 60’s and now decades later he’s about to be unleashed from a mental asylum. By some kooky college kids doing some initiation prank, of course! Darren McGavin plays one of the survivors of the 60’s massacre. He’s an old geezer now and his sons are both up against the killer... Good points: Lots of hot babes in this one. The kills are pretty gory and there are some very creepy moments: especially one involving a mannequin. Malius is very pale and slow-moving: he is the 90’s Michael Myers. He even talks funny and spouts a line after each kill. Cheesy indeed, but it raises your arm hairs for sure. Look for Jorja Fox and Sam Rockwell before they were famous. They both have decent parts.     Not only is the music is very eerie and atmospheric, but the Happy Hell Night theme song is very singable and like a Ramones tune. I dug it so much I had the song recorded to CD. Bad points: The kills do get repetitive after about the tenth! There's a bit of a cheese factor to this movie, too. It's a totally serious film, but some of the dialogue is delivered in a B-movie-ish way that sometimes doesn't work. DVD Details: The disc reviewed is the Region 1 Anchor Bay. Few or no extras, sadly. Overall: Happy Hell Night may have been overlooked, but it's one of the best '90s slasher movies. The nudity, gore, camerawork, use of light and shadow (nearly the whole movie takes place at night) and campy dialogue will keep a huge crowd entertained. Release Date: Out now on Region 1 Anchor Bay DVD in the States. It once made a video appearance in the UK, under the title Hell Night. Reviewer: Eric Spudic. You can check out this LA-based actor, writer, director and producer's website here. [Check it out at Amazon US] [Reviews Menu] [Home] © Copyright Slasherama 2002-present